Freddie Roach questions if Errol Spence is truly back to 100%
On August 21, WBA welterweight champion in recess Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KO’s) will face IBF and WBC World welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (27-0, 21 KO’s). The original announcement for this bout shocked countless individuals throughout the sport. It came with a jolt because very few believed that Pacquiao, 42, would fight such a hungry young lion at this stage in his career. While Pacquiao is undeniably in the twilight of his career, The Truth is in the spring of his.
Regardless of the age difference, Freddie Roach, Pac Man’s chief second, is not sold on Spence’s recovery story. Sure, he is happy that The Truth is back on his feet and competing once again after his horrendous car accident. At the same time, Roach is not buying the story that Spence’s body is fully recovered from the substantial abuse that it absorbed over a year ago. In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, the decorated trainer went more in depth.
“I know Errol Spence is a very good fighter, a good boxer but I’m real leery about that car accident. I mean he is lucky to be alive! I‘m happy he’s alive but it was a real bad car accident and I still don’t think that is over…he looked okay in that fight [versus Danny Garcia]. It wasn’t great, but it was okay.
But the thing is, I’m happy that he is alive and so forth and happy that he made it through that accident but again, I don’t feel like that accident’s over and I think that Manny Pacquiao’s speed [usually] overwhelms a lot of people and the hand speed, the foot speed and the power he has.”
STILL A TOUGH OUT
Even with the supreme confidence that Roach has in Pac Man, he is not slow to the fact that, 100% or not, Spence is still very dangerous. Bearing this in mind, the infamous trainer understands that Pacquiao has to be on his A-game to prevail.
“The thing is Manny is going to be in the pocket getting in two and three punch combinations and he’s got to get out. If he stays in the pocket, he’ll get hit back and that won’t be good! Because getting hit back by a big puncher like him is going to be dangerous, so we have to fight the perfect fight to win this one. We know that.”
It will be interesting to see, come fight night, if experience and speed can overcome determination and power. Yet, no matter who is crowned the victor, this is a guaranteed great action-fight that should not disappoint anyone!
By: Bakari Simpson
